2026 ORC Double-Handed World Championship Kicks Off With the Short Offshore Race

21. May 2026

XR 41 X-ESTEEM (NED) by Robin Verhoef and John van der Starre - The Vuurschepen Race 2026 © Sander van der Borch | North Sea Regatta

May 21, 2026 - The Hague, the Netherlands - Everything is set for the first warning signal of the fifth edition of the ORC Double-Handed World Championship in The Hague, the Netherlands. From May 18-25, Jachtclub Scheveningen is hosting the 2026 ORC Double-Handed Worlds in collaboration with the Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) during the North Sea Regatta – the Netherlands’ premier annual sailing event.

A fleet of 29 double-handed teams from seven nations is competing across three ORC classes, featuring boats with valid ORC DH International certificates ranging from 418.0 to 630.0 APH s/NM.

Two offshore races to decide the world titles

The championship consists of two races – a Short Offshore Race and a Long Offshore Race. With offshore courses set on the North Sea between the Netherlands and the UK, and start and finish lines close to Scheveningen Harbour, the championship promises demanding offshore racing and strong international competition.

The Long Offshore Race is expected to take approximately 48-60 hours for the slowest boats, while the Short Offshore Race is projected at around 8-10 hours under standard conditions. The Long Offshore Race carries additional importance in the standings with a scoring coefficient of 1.5.

ORC DH World Champion titles will be awarded in each class, together with podium prizes for the top three teams and special awards for Male, Female and Mixed crews. The new champions will be crowned on Monday, May 25.

Short Offshore Race opens the championship

At 1000 hrs on Thursday, May 21, the fleet heads out for the opening championship challenge on the North Sea with the Short Offshore Race off Scheveningen. After an opening windward leg close to shore, the fleets will race northbound along the Dutch coast before turning offshore through a series of tactical navigation points and returning toward Scheveningen Harbour.

Classes A and B will sail the longer 39.82 NM course, while Class C will contest a 31.84 NM variation. Current routing predicts a race duration of approximately 5.5-6.5 hours for all classes. With the breeze, current, and North Sea sea state all expected to play their part, crews will immediately face a demanding test of speed, navigation, and endurance.

The races can be followed live via TracTrac.

Defending champions return

The only reigning ORC DH World Champion in the fleet is competing in a Class C lineup packed with lighter and smaller designs.

The experienced Swedish duo Lars Bergkvist and Anders Dahlsjö return aboard the Corby 25 ALTISSIMUS, defending the Class C title they won at the 2025 ORC DH Worlds in Monfalcone, Italy. Their recent record is impressive. In 2024, they finished second overall at the ORC DH Worlds in Norway aboard the Farr 30 CONSENSUS. Anders Dahlsjö also became the first-ever ORC DH World Champion in Class A in 2022 aboard Z 30+ ZEUS with Martin Strömberg, before adding silver at the 2023 Europeans in Denmark. Lars Bergkvist claimed silver at the 2023 ORC DH Europeans aboard his Farr 30 Garantum together with Michael Wahlroos.

Corby 25 ALTISSIMUS (SWE) by Lars Bergkvist and Anders Dahlsjö - ORC DH Worlds 2025 Monfalcone, Italy © Andrea Carloni | YC Monfalcone

Strong Dutch challenge in Class A

Dutch sailors Robin Verhoef and John van der Starre, former national double-handed champions, bring a strong offshore résumé that includes multiple Rolex Fastnet Race appearances and an overall victory in the 2023 North Sea Race. For the Worlds, they are racing the newly launched XR-41 X-ESTEEM, specifically optimised for double-handed offshore racing.

Robin Verhoef and John van der Starre - XR-41 X-ESTEEM

Another notable Class A entry is the Dutch JPK Class 40 TJOBA sailed by Minus Tjeenk Willink and Sander Wwijnen. The JPK Class 40 design is purpose-built for offshore performance and could prove particularly competitive in stronger North Sea conditions.

Proven offshore boats in Class B

In ORC Class B, the Dutch Dehler 30 OD STORM sailed by Jeoren Kies and Coen de Rooij represents one of the best-known modern short-handed offshore designs in Europe.

Another serious contender is the Dutch Sun Fast 3600 ONE & ONLY with Matthijs Hardeman and Peter Korver. Sun Fast 3600 is a design with a strong reputation throughout Fastnet, ORC and European double-handed racing circuits.

Finland is represented by JPK 10.30 TENET, sailed by Perttu Monthan and Mikko Karppinen, winners of the 2025 Espoo–Naissaari Race and fifth in Class B at the 2025 ORC DH Europeans in Helsinki.

TENET (JPK 10.30), sailed by Perttu Monthan and Mikko Karppinen © Finnish Double-Handed Championship 2025 - Pepe Korteniemi

Big sailing names and mixed teams in Class C

One of the standout mixed crews in the fleet is Germany’s Lina Rixgens and Sverre Reinke aboard the Sun Fast 30 OD GAIA. The pair finished sixth at the Mixed Offshore World Championship and earlier contested the Rolex Fastnet Race as the smallest boat in their fleet. Lina Rixgens is also widely recognised for her Mini Transat offshore sailing campaigns. Together, they claimed overall ORC victory in the Baltic 500 in 2025.

Lina Rixgens and Sverre Reinke, a strong mixed offshore team sailing the Sun Fast 30 OD GAIA

A major Dutch entry is the J-109 TEAM HEINER 4, sailed by Olympic bronze medallist and Volvo Ocean Race sailor Roy Heiner, together with Jelle Lourens.

Another high-profile Dutch campaign is J-35 FEVER, featuring Simeon Tienpont and Bas Sijstma. Tienpont is internationally known as an America’s Cup winner with Oracle Team USA and as a former Volvo Ocean Race skipper. Even though FEVER may not be a dedicated double-handed campaign, the sailing pedigree on board is exceptionally strong.

And finally, among the smallest boats in the fleet is the Lithuanian Platu 25 BESTIJA with Algirdas Žižys and Aidas Pivoriunas. Together with ALTISSIMUS, they form one of the most interesting underdog stories of the championship.

Full Entry List by classes
More about the teams at: https://www.jachtclubscheveningen.com/dhworlds2026
Hall of Fame of the ORC DH World Champions